Surely, we’ve hit peak hotel, right? Not so fast. The latest stats from Travel Portland show that while the number of available hotel rooms in central Portland continued to rise over 2017, occupancy rates held at around 80 percent.

Yes, more tourists means you'll likely be directing ever more people in the direction of Voodoo Doughnut. And yes, the lines at your favorite sandwich shop will continue to get longer with each rerun of the Food Network show that discovered it years after you claimed it. But consider the big picture. If strong occupancy rates hold into 2019, that’s great news for beneficiaries of the state’s visitor lodging tax: public safety agencies, infrastructure projects, and even emergency services. Also happy about that? Area restaurants, wineries, and retailers—sectors, among others, that benefited from the $5.1 billon in direct tourism spending that flowed into the Portland metro area in 2017.